(Bottom row, from left) Area distributors Feelix Teo Wang Chye, Iu Bing Yuan and Nigel Khing Yao Zhi. (Photos: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)
6 members of Singapore syndicate hawking vapes from Malaysia get jail, fines
The vape syndicate ran in three tiers, with syndicate leaders at the top and distributors on two rungs.
by Lydia Lam · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
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SINGAPORE: Six members of a local syndicate that distributed electronic vaporisers from Malaysia using two warehouses in Singapore were sentenced to jail and fined on Friday (Oct 23).
The organised crime syndicate operated in a hierarchy, with syndicate leaders taking instructions from a person based in Malaysia and known only as "Nobody".
The six Singaporean men who were sentenced on Friday were: Tey Ler Wei, 30, Teo Jin Rui, 29, Tan Boon Hao, 31, Feelix Teo Wang Chye, 30, Iu Bing Yuan, 38, and Nigel Khing Yao Zhi, 28.
Tey, who was a local syndicate leader, received 25 months' jail and a fine of S$100,000 (US$78,000).
Teo, next highest in rank of the lot as a local distributor operating a warehouse in Lentor, was sentenced to 21 months' jail and a fine of S$100,000.
The other four, who were area distributors on the lowest rung of the syndicate, received 10 months' jail each and fines of between S$8,000 and S$24,000.
THE CASE
The syndicate ran from mid-2022 to Oct 16, 2025, distributing vapes imported from Malaysia.
Tey was roped into the group by co-accused Wong Ee Wei, one of the local syndicate leaders.
Tey started out as an area distributor, receiving packed orders from local distributors and delivering them to customers who placed orders with "Nobody".
Each area distributor was assigned a specific postal area, reporting any unsuccessful deliveries to the group and collecting the payments in cash.
Tey did this for about a year, earning an average of S$5,500 per month.
In mid-2023, he rose in rank and began working as a local distributor in a warehouse in Mandai Road.
He earned S$8,000 a month in this role, helping run the warehouses, receiving supply deliveries, packing parcels and landing them to area distributors.
After 18 months as a local distributor, Tey took over management of the warehouse in Mandai Road from Wong, as a local syndicate leader.
Wong became a "sleeping partner" receiving 70 per cent of the earnings.
As local syndicate leader from December 2024, Tey earned at least S$4,500 a month. He also recruited others as distributors.
Tey also sold vapes to customers through resellers or agents who placed orders directly with him, directing distributors to prepare their delivery orders.
He had a 50-50 profit sharing arrangement with the resellers or agents, after deducting the cost of the vapes.
Tey estimated that he earned about S$18,000 per month in monthly additional income from direct orders.
In total across his time with the syndicate, Tey earned about S$435,000.
On Oct 16, 2025, the authorities swept in and seized more than 57,000 vapes and related components from the syndicate's two warehouses.
Tey was arrested on Oct 23, 2025.
In a sentencing table, the prosecution set out proposed sentences for each of the six members, with the highest sentence being sought for Tey.
They pegged Tey's culpability as high, followed by Teo, whose culpability was medium as a local distributor.
The remaining four members had low culpability as area distributors.
Two other local syndicate leaders had been sentenced previously. Wong received 25 months' jail and a fine of S$100,000, while Kenneth Tan Hong Chang was sentenced to 45 months' jail, a fine of S$36,000 and a driving ban.
For being a member of a locally linked organised criminal group, a person can be jailed for up to five years or fined up to S$100,000, or both.
For conspiring to possess vapes for sale, an offender can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$10,000, or both.
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